Desdemona Saves the Day

Agnes C. Farrell is a public-school teacher in Richmond, B.C.

Young children always enjoy stories in which children are shown to be
smarter than adults. This is such a story. Desdemona’s mother is
addicted to garage sales. Soon their own garage becomes so full that
Desdemona’s father must park his car on the street. When Desdemona
sees her father sitting on his favorite chair in the garage and her
mother brooding in the kitchen, she realizes it is up to her to “save
the day.” Her suggestion that they have a garage sale of their own is
obvious enough to make young readers feel that they, too, are smarter
than Desdemona’s parents. The story ends with Desdemona’s
realization that her solution is only temporary. She knows she must find
something else for her mother to do on Saturday morning, or the problem
will start all over again. This provides an excellent opportunity to
discuss with children what Desdemona’s mother could do instead of
going to garage sales every week.

Tina Seemann’s cartoon-style illustrations are detailed and amusing.
They offer rich opportunities for vocabulary development by showing
items familiar to past generations. Almost each page could promote an
active discussion as children decide which items they think people would
buy at a garage sale.

The story may upset some feminists, and could not be considered
“politically correct,” because the mother is portrayed as completely
irresponsible. However, children are not likely to believe that
Desdemona’s mother is a typical woman. They will simply enjoy the
humor in this amusing (if improbable) story.